Why Weren’t ‘Fire Country’ and ‘Blue Bloods’ New This Week?

While S.W.A.T. still aired a new episode this week, Fire Country and Blue Bloods were absent from the lineup on Apr. 19. The reason is partly due to the fact that CBS is reairing Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden after a broadcast mix-up cut off the last two minutes during its initial airing last Sunday. Since the special is airing at 9 p.m. ET, S.W.A.T. was still able to air a new episode. S.W.A.T. also has 13 episodes this season, as compared to the 10 episodes both Fire Country and Blue Bloods have, meaning that it needs less breaks to stretch the season through May.

According to TV Insider, Fire Country and Blue Bloods, as well, will be coming back on Apr. 26 and will have a straight run through their finales on May 17. Even prior to the Billy Joel concert special, both series were already set to take a break, likely to stretch out the season ahead of the finale. Because of the strikes, shows have had to go on more breaks than usual to keep the seasons going until May when they usually come to an end.

Luckily, even when the seasons eventually come to an end, there will be a lot more to look forward to. Blue Bloods will round out its 14th and final season this fall with eight more episodes, while S.W.A.T.. Fire Country is also coming back for Season 3 and could even be joined by a potential spinoff. Assuming things are on track for the 2024-25 season, there should be fewer breaks when the shows come back next season.

As for what to look forward to when Fire Country and Blue Bloods return, Fire Country‘s “A Hail Mary” will see the future of Three Rock in jeopardy as public opinion of the camp grows increasingly negative, likely due to the events of the previous episode. The logline for the upcoming Blue Bloods has yet to be released, but it will surely be an intense hour like all of the other episodes. Even though a Friday night without Fire Country and Blue Bloods makes it pretty empty, the wait will be worth it.

Don’t miss the return of both Fire Country and Blue Bloods next Friday, Apr. 26, starting at 9 p.m. ET following a new episode of S.W.A.T. on CBS.